The function of a pellet mill involves feeding a material to be pelletized into a die cavity where the material is caught in the nip of a roller and a die, where in it is compressed and forced out through holes in the die which form the pellet.
Current designs for pellet mills provide substantial void or free space in the die cavity area. Some void space is necessary and unavoidable to permit feeding of material to the die. Void space may be divided into two categories; active void space which is traversed by the pellet mill roller or rollers and dead void space which is undistributed by the passage of a roller.
It has been found that reduction of dead void space can result in substantial increase or production and operating efficiency.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to minimize dead void space in the die cavity not necessary for direct introduction of material to be pelletized.
A further object is to provide a removable, low cost, easily manufactured means to reduce the dead void space.
These and other objects are obtained in a pellet mill having a die cavity provided with means disposed in the cavity for reducing the void space of said cavity.